The Dragonic Emperor
by Renjii1313
Summary: The Dragonslayers were betrayed. Rumors pushed their family away from them. After Fairy Tail does the unthinkable, the Dragonslayers leave for revenge. On the way, Natsu introduces them to his grandfather, Aurum, the dragon emperor. Aurum decides to train them before setting them loose on Ishgar once more.
1. Betrayal

Chapter 1: Expulsion.

It had simply begun as a normal S class mission. For the group of Dragonslayers, it was supposed to be easy. Laxus and Natsu were there, and the two of them made up two-thirds of the male powerhouses in the guild. In addition, Wendy was there to provide support and healing with her Sky Dragonslayer magic. Gajeel was there as well, albeit reluctantly, rounding out the group of four that had earned the title the clan of dragons by the general public.

However, this mission was something that even they with all their power could not withstand. A Giant yellow-green dragon called Erortis, the poison dragon had been ravaging the countryside for many weeks, killing humans and livestock for food indiscriminately. But still, he was just a normal dragon, wasn't he? The four of them had faced Acnologia and the five god dragons. But there was something that made this quite different. Erortis was smart.

Now, this wasn't to say that Acnologia and the god dragons were not smart, but Erortis' main ability was not through his strength of body or his magic. It was his mind. It was one of the reasons that he had managed to hide away and survive for hundreds of years under the noses of the deceased Dragon King. But now that the damned abomination of a dragon slayer was dead, he was free to roam the country, doing whatever he pleased. He knew the ones who killed the Dragon King would come for him, but he wasn't too worried.

And he was correct. The four Dragonslayers were unprepared against a dragon who was an intellectual first and a magical creature second. Natsu of course thought the problem was simple. Hit the Damn thing until it stopped working. It worked with Acnologia, so why change the plan?

"I'm all fired up!" Shouted the young man as he slammed into Erortis. Erortis, somewhat unprepared for the attack, roared in pain as a flaming fist slammed into his eye. "**Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!**" Natsu began beating the dragon over and over. Soon enough, the rest of the team arrived to help.

"**Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs!**"

** "Raging Bolt!"**

** "Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" **Erortis bellowed in pain, wings smashing through buildings as he skidded through the town, smashing the clean cobblestone road with his mere weight. Erortis finally slid to a stop in the center of the town. He had never felt such pain before and realized that he would never again. He had underestimated the power of the Dragonslayers, which now resulted in his critical state. He lay there, moaning in pain, as the four slayers came up to him.

"Nice job guys! Now next time, you'll think twice about terrorizing the city of Denish!" Natsu said triumphantly, fists raised in the air.

Gajeel grinned as well. It was nostalgic, coming back to the town he grew up in, and he was happy that he was able to save it from a dragon. He was also planning on trying to find a new stuffed Lily for Levy, as Natsu had accidentally burned the last one.

Laxus was patting Wendy on the head congratulating her for a good job. Wendy blushed at his praise. Laxus, like Natsu and Gajeel, had become a surrogate brother for her and she reveled in the praise. She was glad the mission was over and even though they had to kill a dragon, it was for the good of Fiore.

She walked up to the dragon and placed her hand on its snout. "I'm sorry that you forced us to do this. We really did not want to kill the last of your kind, but you left us with no option." She said sadly. Gajeel put his hand on her head, gently steering her away, telling her that it wasn't her fault. The four began to leave but then turned as they heard loud coughing.

Erortis laughed wetly. "Is that what you think, my little maiden of the sky? That the dragons are gone? You wish that was the case." Natsu, surprising everyone ran forward and slammed his fiery fist upon the dragon's head.

"You should stop spewing lies if you know what is good for you." He ordered, his eyes flashing. The others turned to him in shock. Even when he had faced his brother, they had never seen Natsu look so angry.

"And why should I" Erortis chuckled. "I am already dying. Nothing you could really do to me. You fear what is coming, don't you boy?" the dragon questioned, his voice growing soft. "Your nation believes that all the dragons are gone, and with that, they will give you peace? I can assure you, that is not the case. The only reason that your so-called friends keep you around is to the dirty work of slaying dragons. When you have outlived your usefulness, you will be cast aside. Even though you have essentially killed me, I have no wish for the same fate to be brought upon you all."

Natsu snorted, his eyebrow raised. "You expect me to believe that? Fairy Tail is our home, our family. No one, not the council, the queen or anyone else would do something like that." Wendy and Gajeel agreed with Natsu but Laxus had a look of worry etched upon his face.

"For your sake, I hope that is true. But all the same, I would make plans in case the worst happens. Maybe by calling the Emperor." Natsu's eyes widened at the statement. The others appeared confused. "I see you know who I am speaking about. The humans fear what they don't understand or cannot control. It is in their nature, while a dragon's is to run wild. We are opposites, and humans despise us for this. Be mindful of my warning young ones, for if you don't, we may see each other sooner than you expect." With one last shuddering breath, Erortis lay dead.

The group of four stood motionless for a while, none of them having the courage to speak up and break the ever-increasing silence. After some time, Laxus turned on his heel and told them that they were leaving. The rest walked back numbly. This soon passed, however, and every one of them tried to shove the conversation to the very back of their minds. But they were to find out that the conversation did have merit to it.

One month. That was all it took for whispers and rumors to spread throughout all of Ishgar. Stories of the Dragonslayers and their dangers to Fiore. For a while, that is all they were, simply rumors. But the older members of the generation remembered how the Dragonslayers had acted years ago and cases were recalled of the four Dragonslayers of Fairy Tail. Unfortunately, there was much truth to the claims. Laxus had been forgiven for holding all of Magnolia hostage, but that did not mean it was forgotten. Tales of Gajeel's less than stellar deeds while working under Jose of Phantom Lord were becoming common tavern talk and people would talk in loud voices about the destructiveness of Fairy Tail's Salamander, Natsu Dragneel.

But the four endured it. Four six long months they endured it, trying their very best to prove the citizens wrong. But it hadn't helped. No matter what they did, they were still found fault with. Natsu and Wendy took it the hardest, after their friends (Namely Erza, Lucy and Gray) decided that it would be better if they left team Natsu so they could make more money. Their Master was constantly getting after the four of them for the bills he was getting sent by the magic council.

Natsu withdrew into himself, never speaking to anyone save for the other Dragonslayers and their exceeds. What Erortis had claimed would happen was beginning to occur, and he was powerless to stop it. He watched as his friends and family drifted away from them. He began to drink and drink, trying to drown his sorrows in alcohol. But no matter how much he drank; he could never get the feeling of sadness and betrayal from his heart.

He was stirred from his ruminations when Makarov leaped to the stage on one of the guilds and told them that he was putting all S class mages on a special mission to kill a dragon. And he would go along personally.

_Why don't the Dragonslayers just deal with it?_

_ The only thing their good for anyway._

_ Yeah, that and causing trouble. _

Gajeel ground his teeth in anger. Did those idiots think that they couldn't them? He stepped towards them only to be stopped by Laxus and Natsu. "Leave it. It's not worth causing a scene." Natsu muttered to his friend. Gajeel paused, not because he agreed with Natsu, but because he was flabbergasted by the fact Natsu didn't want to fight.

The S classed mages (Which included: Natsu, Wendy, Gajeel, Laxus, Erza, Gray, Lucy, Juvia, the thunder legion, Mira, Elfman, Cana and Mest.) left to deal with the SS level threat. A lava elemental that was awakened in a mountain south of clover as a result of mining.

The elemental was very awake and very angry. Fairy Tail leaped into battel throwing spells at the elemental left and right. Natsu wasn't very effective against the thing, as unlike dragons, elementals were not hurt by attacks of the same basic type.

"If you're not going to be useful Natsu, then get out of my damn way!" Erza shouted, re-quipping her Blackwing armor. Natsu leaped out of the way narrowly avoiding getting hit by a blast of Lava. He was shocked at the tone that Erza had used.

Levy was furiously writing in the air, shooting streams of water at the elemental. Soon the lava elemental quickly turned and threw a ball of lava at her. Levy, distracted by writing didn't notice it. But Gajeel did. "SHRIMP!"

Gajeel hit Levy, forcing her out of the way from the incoming blast. It hit the right side of his face sending Gajeel to the ground screaming in pain. Wendy rushed over to help him but was stopped by Lucy. "We need you to heal us if we need it, he'll be fine."

Natsu grabbed Wendy by the shoulder and raced over to Gajeel ignoring Lucy. "I don't know what the hell she was on about, but see what you can do, okay?" Lucy raced over to Natsu shouting at him that Wendy needed to get back to the fight. Natsu turned and snarled at her, stopping her in her tracks. "Gajeel will most likely lose half of his face, even with Wendy's healing magic. Now I personally am not going to ignore the fact that you told Wendy to let Gajeel die so she could heal you. We will speak of this with gramps after we are done here. Now get back to the fight!" He roared. Lucy was taken aback at the suggestion and raced back switching into her Leo star dress form.

_Enough was enough_, thought Makarov. He put his hands together and began to count down. "3….2….1…."

**"FARIY LAW!"**

The grand fairy spell began as intended originally. Then everything went wrong. The Dragonslayers began to scream in pain as the spell hit. Makarov had no idea why they were screaming. But he ended the spell as soon as he could. The elemental was no more, but the Dragonslayers were all still on their knees screaming. Makarov had no idea what had happened the spell shouldn't have worked on them.

Natsu recovered faster than the others, looking at Gajeel, whose right side of his face was almost completely burnt to a crisp. He was thankfully unconscious. The rest of Fairy Tail watched in stunned silence as Natsu roared and launched himself at their master. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" He screamed at the top of his voice. But Erza got in his way.

"Natsu, I don't know what has gotten into you, but it needs to stop now. How dare you attack the master?" She was answered by nothing but snarling. Natsu began to attack her but she slid past his flaming fist and reflexively brought her sword down upon Natsu's face, expecting him to dodge. But what she didn't count on was Natsu being so tired because of Fairy Law. The blade slashed open a long gash that ripped down the left side of his face. For Natsu, it was a peculiar experience. Light flashed in his left eye and his vision switched. He tried to rub his eye, thinking that there was something in it. But when he pulled his hand back, something came with it. The remnants of his eyeball. Then the pain started.

Erza dropped her sword in horror. Seeing Natsu there, holding his eye in his hands screaming shattered her heart. And the fact that she took it made it worse. Laxus turned to lightinng and flashed to Natsu and grabbed him, flashing back to the Dragonslayers. He sat Natsu next to Wendy who used her magic to try and stop the bleeding. Laxus spun around on the guild. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE/" He roared at them. They just looked back numbly. Laxus took one step towards them, lightning flickering off him, hitting the ground and crackling in the air with each step. Not even when he threatened the guild had they seen him so angry.

"Laxus!" barked Natsu from his sitting position. "Grab Gajeel and hold onto my shoulder! You do the same Wendy!" Natsu rose, fire flickering around him. "So, this is how it is, Makarov. I thought we were a family, sticking by each other through thick and thin, but It seems like Erortis was right."

Makarov walked towards the Dragonslayers. "Natsu, I don't know what happened, the elemental must have thrown off the spell. We'll get you to Porlyusica, she'll be able to help." His voice was soft with sorrow and he continued to beg until a ring of fire surrounded the slayers.

"Like we'd trust anything you say after what you did. That spell cannot be affected by magic. Only blocked. And you know what that means. I never thought I would have to say this old man, but you have made enemies here today. If you look for us, you won't find us. But on the off chance you do, we will kill you. What Zeref and Acnologia did to us is nothing like what you have done today. They were at least open about trying to kill us." With those words Natsu raised his hand to his mark and began to burn it off. The guild watched in silence as the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Natsu stepped back and raised his hands to the sky. "**Forbidden Fire Dragon Secret Art: Final Escape!**" The four slayers disappeared in a column of fire with the rest of the guild watching.

Makarov fell to his knees, tears running down the old man's wrinkled face. "What has happened?" He cried to the heavens. But the heavens had no answer.


	2. Choices

Chapter 2: Choices

Wendy was in pain. The Fairy Law spell affected her to a huge extent. She had heard from Erza and Lucy about the spell before, and she had seen it in action when they had fought Alvarez. But she had no real idea about what it would do to the person it was cast on. Now she knew, and it terrified her. All her worst fears, all of the pain she had ever suffered, was brought to the forefront of her mind. It showed her al the pain she had inflicted upon others and it was reflected onto her. She barely had enough strength to stand, let alone use magic. Compounded on this fact was that Natsu had used a forbidden Dragonslayer art.

The four slayers emerged from the spell that Natsu had cast, finding themselves at Natsu's home in the woods. Natsu took a few trembling steps forward before he coughed up blood and sank to one knee. Wendy cried out and managed to hold onto him before he hit the ground. He was still conscious, how, Wendy did not know. She could tell he was in a massive amount of pain.

"L-Laxus. There is a Lacrima hidden underneath the floorboards of my bedroom. Get it and bring it to me. We need to get out of here as fast as we can, and it is the only way." Laxus nodded and gently laid Gajeel down on the ground, propping his head on Natsu's leg. He rushed into the house and ran into Natsu's bedroom.

Laxus was in no mood to search for this Lacrima under the floorboards. So, he raised his fist, encased it in lightning and slammed it into the floor, throwing floorboards this way and that. He saw a large Lacrima crystal, about the size of his fist and snatched it. It was a golden jewel, and as the light from his magic hit it, sprays of color shot across the room. But Laxus was in no mood for watching pretty lights. He raced out of the house and held it out to Nastu.

Natsu held the jewel, staring at it for several seconds. "I thought I would never have to use this. But it seems I was wrong. Everyone, stand back." He raised the Lacrima above his head and slammed it into the ground. The crystal shattered into a thousand pieces and golden light began to leak out of the fragments.

The light faded and a man in golden flowing robes stood in the place of the jewel. He turned to the Dragonslayers and spoke. His voice was soft and musical, but it also sounded like the voice was hiding a deep dark pain. And an interesting combination. "Natsu I see you have finally…" The man's eyes widened in surprise at the states of the four Dragonslayers. The stare quickly turned from surprise to rage and finally, fury. "**What has happened? Who dared to harm my grandson? Whoever did this will pay!" **the man roared in fury, releasing his magic power.

Laxus was taken aback by the magic power this being commanded. He knew if the power was directed at them, they would have probably suffocated under the pressure. Even when they fought Acnologia, they had never felt anything like this. The ground cracked under the man's feet, spreading thirty-foot-long cracks in every direction. Rain began to sheet down and lighting flickered in what was previously a blue sky. The temperature began to fluctuate, going from unbearably hot to freezing cold. But then the power was gone as soon as it was released. Laxus and Wendy stood still in shock. Who in the name of all that is holy was this man?

"You must be Laxus and Wendy, would you mind holding Gajeel and waking him up? I'll do my best to help him, but I will try to help Natsu first, as he is closest to death." The two nodded numbly and began to try to wake their friend up. The man placed his hand on Natsu's chest and a soft glowing gold light spread across Natsu's body. When she saw it, Wendy gasped.

"That…that is sky dragon magic!" Laxus and the now somewhat awake Gajeel looked in awe. They had never heard of another sky Dragonslayer. The man smiled at Wendy.

"It's not actually sky Dragonslayer magic. It is the magic that it was based on. Quite a bit more powerful, and it drains you quite a bit more." Wendy took a step to look at Natsu. Most of Natsu's wounds had disappeared. The only thing that remained was the lack of Natsu's left eye. Natsu, once he finally recovered enough to speak muttered to Wendy that he was fine. "Now that my grandson is fine, I'll see what I can do for his friend." The others exchanged glances. This young man was Natsu's grandfather? He had never even mentioned having one, let alone that he was alive.

"I know this we aren't meeting under the best of circumstances, but it is a pleasure to meet you all," the man said as he inspected Gajeel's burnt face. "My name is Aurum, the Dragon Emperor." He said this matter-of-factly as if this was normal. Laxus narrowed his eyes and rubbed his ears.

"I'm sorry but I think you said you were…"

"The Dragon Emperor. First of his name, king od magic, etc. I'm sure Natsu has told you all about me."

"No, he hasn't." came the response from Gajeel, Wendy and Laxus.

A river of tears began to flow from Aurum's eyes, spilling onto Gajeel's head. The Iron Dragonslayer was not too happy about becoming a makeshift fountain, so he tried to get away from Aurum, but to no avail. "I thought my grandson would have at least had the love and respect for his old grandfather to mention him to his friends!"

Natsu sheepishly looked at the ground. "Well sorry Ojīchan, how was I supposed to bring something like that up in conversation? 'Hey guys, no big deal, but my grandfather is the Emperor of Dragons and the most powerful being on the planet?'"

"Exactly like you just did." Muttered Aurum, the tears finally lessening. He turned back to Gajeel. "So, you're Black-steel. You remind me quite a bit of your father. Which is to be expected, I guess. I have good news and bad news. I'm unable to heal your face. Elementals do not use magic, and as such, you will not be able to heal any wounds dealt by them with magic. However, I will be able to stop an infection from occurring."

Gajeel nodded in understanding. "How will you be able to do that with magic?" He asked. Even though Gajeel didn't act or look like it, he was an avid reader. He knew enough from reading Levy's books that an infection could lead to death in extreme cases if it was not treated.

Aurum dryly chuckled. "That is bad news. I'll be able to stop an infection by searing the wound closed with a metal plate. However, it will be extremely painful. You must prepare yourself for that."

Gajeel went white as Aurum began to explain what would happen. But then after a minute or two, his signature smirk surfaced on his face. "Don't matter to me as long as it works. Not the first piece of metal I've stuck to my face." The others chuckled, glad that even in pain, their friend maintained his humor. Aurum walked into Natsu's house for about fifteen minutes and they began to hear hammering and metal screeching.

"So, Salamander…" Gajeel muttered. "Your grandpa is the Dragon emperor. Didn't mention it went we went up against old Acno did you?"

Natsu stared at the ground in shame. "I couldn't. My Ojīchan could have killed him, and all of the other dragons, but he couldn't. He is forbidden from involving in Ishgar and Alvarez's affairs. He wanted to, believe me, especially after dad died. But as the Dragon Emperor, there are rules that even he, with all of his powers, are subservient to."

There was a brief pause in the conversation, and it was eventually interrupted by Aurum who walked out of the house with an iron half mask. It was made to cover everything but Gajeel's right eye, ear and mouth. (Think Phantom of the opera mask but wraps around to the back of his head, and also goes over his head.) It was studded with Iron over where Gajeel's eyebrow used to be, to match the studs on the normal side of the face. Aurum held the mask up to Gajeel and asked him for his opinion. When Gajeel gave his approval, Aurum gave the mask to Natsu, who slowly began to heat up the metal on one side.

Aurum turned to Laxus. "Could you please knock him out? It'll be better for him this way." Laxus nodded and hit Gajeel over the head, knocking him out. Aurum then instructed Wendy to start healing Gajeel's face up until the point when they placed the mask upon his face. Natsu had gotten the mask red hot and Aurum snatched the mask and carefully placed it on Gajeel.

The smell of burning flesh hit their nostrils, causing Wendy to turn and start heaving. Soon the sour smell of vomit mixed with the smell of flesh. Natsu walked over to Wendy and gently helped her to her feet, one hand on her back, stabilizing her.

Aurum stood and walked over to Natsu. "Tell me everything that has happened."

And so Natsu began, starting with the battle with Erortis and ending with Makarov's Fairy Law spell and them teleporting here. Laxus' eyes were trained upon Aurum, searching for any reaction during the story. The only visible reaction he saw was the man tightly clenching his fists when Natsu told about Fairy Law. Eventually, the tale came to an end and the Dragonslayers (minus Gajeel) looked at Aurum waiting for a response.

Aurum sat down on a log and pulled out an old wooden pipe. With a snap of his fingers, the tobacco inside was lit, and a trail of smoke left Aurum's mouth. "I assume you know why Fairy Law hurt you, so I need not say any more on that. My question to you is this: What will you do now? Will you try to take revenge against your so-called family, or will you do something different?"

Natsu sat down opposite his grandfather. "I don't know about the rest of them, but I cannot just ignore what the people who I called my family did to us. Lucy thought it would be better to leave Gajeel to die and have Wendy support the rest of us than save him. Do I want revenge? To an extent I suppose. I don't want to kill them, that's petty, and we would be no better than Acnologia, screaming to the world that life is unfair."

Laxus nodded in agreement. "After what Gramps did, I don't know if I'll be able to forgive him and the guild. I think that Natsu is right. I don't think that physically hurting them will make us feel any better, and it will just prove those rumors true." Wendy really didn't have much to say. She was still shocked by the event of the day and slowly but surely began to pass out.

Gajeel caught her before he hit the ground. Natsu stood and walked over to him.

"She alright?" He asked.

Gajeel nodded. "Short-stuff had a long day. Seems the adrenaline finally wore off." Natsu then asked how he was feeling. Gajeel thought about it for a moment. He reached his hand and felt the cold iron that had now become half of his head. The iron seemed comforting somehow, and he took solace in the fact. "I've been better Salamander, but I can't complain. Thank you, Aurum, for helping me." Aurum held up a hand and told him that it was no trouble at all. He was more than happy to help his grandson's friends. "I was listening a bit to what you were talking about. Maybe it is for the best if we just leave. Erortis was right when he said the country fears what it doesn't understand. I doubt it will just blow over, but maybe leaving the country for some time will do that." Gajeel paused as he saw Laxus and Natsu staring at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"You said something that wasn't about fighting…" Natsu said, his voice a whisper.

"And it wasn't completely stupid." Finished Laxus, chuckling.

Gajeel turned red and launched himself at the two. "I CAN DO THINGS BESIDE FIGHT!" The three began to roll around on the dirt punching each other and throwing insults this way and that. Wendy slowly woke up from her "nap" to the sight of them fighting. She looked over at Aurum.

"Are you going to stop them." She asked, her voice faint.

Aurum shook his head, his eyes gleaming. "Of course not. I want to see my grandson kick their asses so I can brag about it when I get back home!" Wendy responded by giving him a look. Aurum tried to resist Wendy's sad puppy dog eyes, but he, like so many others before him fell prey to its effects. He rose and grabbed Natsu and Gajeel by their collars, separating them from Laxus.

"I understand that you might want to leave the country to get away from the council, Fairy Tail and these rumors being spread about you. You also feel betrayed and you don't want to do anything rash against your former friends correct?" The Dragonslayers nodded. Aurum continued. "I have a solution for both of your problems. Come with me to Aurora!" Natsu gasped and the others looked at him in confusion.

"Natsu, what is Aurora?" asked Wendy.

"Aurora is the home of the dragons, where they came from originally. It is another continent thousands of miles away. By ship, it would take six months to get there. Only maybe a hundred people in both Ishgar and Alvarez know of its existence. The only creatures there are dragons." The other's jaws flapped open as they finally understood the offer that Aurum proposed.

"You would be afforded the same rights as a dragon there, and I would find you all teachers in order to train you to become extremely powerful mages. You would be able to rival Acnologia in time. That will also solve your other problem. You will be able to get away from Ishgar for some time, and I will send people to dispel these rumors about you. You can come back after a few years or so, well trained, extremely powerful and be able to show your former family what they decided to betray. The best revenge is a life well lived I say. In addition, I will formally adopt the rest of you as my grandchildren so you will be able to move freely in our lands without being challenged to a fight to the death."

The Dragonslayers were floored by Aurum's offer. Laxus eventually turned to Aurum and thanked him for the offer. "We accept your offer Aurum. We would be happy to go and train under you in Aurora." Aurum smiled at them.

"You have thirty minutes to collect everything that you want to bring with you and bring it back here. Bring your exceeds as well." Before Natsu raced to the guildhall, Aurum stopped him. He ripped off a piece of golden cloth from his robe and tied it around his grandson's eye. "Much better. Now go grab Happy. Talk to no one and try not to be seen." Natsu nodded in understanding and ran for the guildhall.

It didn't take long for the Dragonslayers and their exceeds to regroup with Aurum. They stood surrounding the man, with all of their belongings piled at their feet. Aurum smiled at them and clapped his hands three times. A magical circle appeared at their feet and they vanished.


End file.
